


All I Want

by KireinaAme



Category: Free!
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 02:25:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5479796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KireinaAme/pseuds/KireinaAme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sousuke and Rin's first Christmas together as a couple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All I Want

**Author's Note:**

> In Japan, Christmas isn’t a religious holiday. Instead it’s celebrated by “lovers”, even though they use a lot of Western tropes (like Christmas trees, holiday music, Santa themes, etc.). Just wanted to clear that up so that this makes more sense.
> 
> This was written for the “holiday” prompt that came up after @bakapandy‘s last livestream. Happy holidays, everyone!

Sousuke wondered if he was being too sentimental. He never used to care about such things. And he was never one to care about the details. They were just minutia that could be ignored till the last minute, or maybe even skipped completely if they ultimately didn’t matter. But he was pretty sure someone wise once said something about love changing everything. Whoever ‘they’ were, they were right.

Love, with all of its power over him, could be the only explanation as to why he was standing there in that shop, surrounded by an overwhelming amount of pastel colors, cheerful music, and cutely decorated confections.

“Which, uh… which cake is not as sweet?” he sheepishly asked the baker behind the counter as he eye-balled every sugary confectionery in their glass display case.

Everything in front of him was some kind of fluffy cake, flavored like vanilla or strawberry or something else equally as predictable, and covered in sweet butter cream, whipped frosting, or fondant. The desserts barely looked real, like they were made with inedible plastic, with how well put together they were. They may have been aesthetically pleasing, and probably tasted fine, but the problem was none of them seemed right. And the longer he took to find something, the more time he would spend stuck there in ‘ _shoujo kawaii_ ’ hell. Somehow picking out a dessert, specifically to be picked up for Christmas, was making him much more embarrassed than the first time he went on a public date with Rin. The strangers grinning and winking at them as they walked down the pier hand-in-hand had made him feel a lot less self-conscious than this.

“Oh, your girlfriend doesn’t like sweet things much?” the kind woman asked, trying to lean over the tall counter to talk with him. She was obviously much too thrilled to be helping the poor man pick the perfect holiday cake.

And he really didn’t feel like explaining that Rin was most certainly not a girl, though was still very much his significant other, so he just nodded and rubbed at his neck, pushing his scarf away from his skin. Right then, the gaggle of high school girls to his right started giggling uncontrollably. He figured it was probably due to how misplaced he looked, an adult man over six feet tall in the pink and yellow painted bakery shop, looking hopelessly confused and probably desperate.

“Well, there are items that aren’t as sugary but still a very good treat to celebrate the lover’s holiday!” With a wink and a knowing smile, she motioned Sousuke to follow her to the other end of the glass case and away from the stereotypical cakes and cupcakes. Sousuke was pretty sure his cheeks were red by the warmth he felt radiating from his face.

“What flavors does your girlfriend like most? Peach, adzuki, matcha, chestnut?”

“Uhhh…” The young man felt that was far too many choices. And considering he couldn’t name a single dessert he ever saw Rin go out of his way to eat outside of a frozen popsicle, he felt lost. “I don’t know…”

“Oh! If she doesn’t like things that are super sweet, maybe you need an apple tart instead! We can make it with sour apples and add in plenty of cinnamon. Let me get you a sample!” The baker grinned and put up a hand as if to will him to stay right where he was and wait for her before running to the back kitchen.

Being both thankful for the woman’s eagerness to help and mortified that he had no idea what he was doing, Sousuke stayed put, practically frozen in place. Maybe trying to celebrate this holiday in such a stereotypical fashion was pointless. After all, they weren’t exactly a ‘stereotypical’ couple, right? Letting out a long frustrated sigh, Sousuke shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and knew he was still going to do this. Rin, being the romantic idiot he was, would still appreciate the gesture, even if it meant Sousuke getting teased mercilessly. And that alone would make this hell worth it.

“That’s not a traditional Christmas cake,” one of the girls commented none too quietly to her friends. He refused to turn his head to indicate that he could hear them. But it certainly didn’t stop him from listening.

“Mm, maybe he doesn’t know what his girlfriend likes?” That judgmental comment certainly stung. And despite its ridiculousness, he did feel dumb for not knowing what desserts his own boyfriend liked. Maybe he should have bought him an expensive steak dinner instead. At least he knew Rin liked that.

“But… maybe she’s just not a traditional sort of girlfriend?” A softer voice tried to reason from the pack of high schools. Sousuke didn’t listen for the response amongst their chatting. He smiled at the thought that she was right. And besides, Rin would appreciate it anyway. He just had to keep reminding himself of that.

“Here, please try this!” The older woman was back and merrily handed a small plate over the counter over to Sousuke. On it was a small cut piece of a baked dessert with no frills, no cream, no topping. It had a crust instead of fluffy cake and was filled with warm, gooey baked apples that he could see was starting to ooze out from where it had been cut from a larger piece. He took the small dessert fork in hand and took a hesitant bite as the woman grinned back at him.

“This one has the sour apples in it but what I could do is ask for more cinnamon to make it more flavorful and less sweet. And you could always add cream or something if you wanted some sweetness on top.”

It actually tasted great, in Sousuke’s opinion. The crust wasn’t sweet like a cookie, as he had been expecting. And the apples were warm and tart, it was soothing rather than sugary. And if the woman thought it would be best to add more cinnamon, he’d be fine with that. He felt this was a much better option than cake, at least.

He smiled and nodded at the bakery who was nearly bouncing with excitement. “I’ll order this one.”

* * *

There were delicate string lights hung on every light pole, tree, or store front in sight. Holiday music was playing through outdoor speakers set up about every thirty feet or so down the walkways. And despite the chill in the air and the sun having set already, the stores were packed with people who had no intention of leaving any time soon.

Someone was going to need to shoot him to put him out of his misery.

After successfully pre-ordering the apple tart, he thought he would continue his good luck and go to the shopping center to find the perfect Christmas present. Instead he found himself surrounded by loud families and obnoxious teenagers all there for the very same purpose. He normally wasn’t this high strung and figured that the stress was getting to him. The cacophonous environment was overwhelming his senses after almost two hours of aimlessly perusing and browsing in the stores and he was ready to leave.

But if he left now, it would be empty-handed. And damn it all, he already got a cake so he needed to get a present too!

At a loss of which direction he needed to go in or what the perfect gift would be, he found himself sitting in the open courtyard on a nearly frozen bench. He watched his breath condense in the cold, winter air as he sat with his hands shoved in his coat pockets. Maybe inspiration would come to him instead. Maybe he was worrying too much about a timeline and needed another night to sleep on it before shopping. After all, it wasn’t Christmas _yet_.

“Out shopping for a gift, son?”

Sousuke was pulled from his thoughts as an old man lowered himself carefully onto the other end of the bench, his cane resting behind his knees once he got comfortable.

“Yeah… It’s hard to find the right one,” he offered a small smile at the stranger, noticing no shopping bags with him.

“Hm, but that means you want it to come from the heart. I agree you should not settle on something that is not the right one. Your girlfriend is very lucky.” The old man smiled lopsidedly in a way meant to be both praising and teasing.

“Uh… thanks.”

The man laughed, probably reading Sousuke’s doubts clearly. “Don’t push yourself too hard, of course. The person you love will know your feelings from whatever you pick. So just find something she likes!”

Before Sousuke could think of a response to the man’s confusing, and rather contradictory, advice, a little girl suddenly came bounding up to the bench.

“Oh there you are, grandpa! It’s time to go!”

“I just needed to rest a moment. I’m coming.” He carefully stood up, taking his granddaughter’s hand and gave Sousuke a polite nod “Do your best!”

He watched them go for just a moment before sagging back onto the bench. Pulling out his phone, Sousuke unlocked the screen and stared. He thought maybe he could call someone for advice for what gift he should get. Someone else who knew Rin rather than a stranger who would only offer the boring and traditional suggestions for a _girl_. Briefly contemplating asking Gou, he hesitated only because he knew that she talked so often with her brother that she may let it slip that he was planning something. Thinking through the rest of the group of people they both knew, he figured the next best option would be Makoto. Haru probably would be of little help and suggest something like ‘mackerel’ so he immediately skipped him. But Makoto would certainly give Sousuke some assistance without there being any teasing or the risk of Rin finding out.

His fingers hovered over the ‘contacts’ icon while he thought about it. Getting help would certainly limit reduce his stress if it meant buying something sooner so that he could feel ready for Rin’s visit. But at the same time, he rather wanted the gift to be from him. And only him. Something special, unique. Something Rin could take back to Australia with him as a reminder. Something he would use rather than something to go on a shelf somewhere and be forgotten. Something a little more practical but still meaningful.

Something Rin would love.

Abruptly Sousuke relocked his phone and shoved it back into his pocket, standing from the bench and speedily making his way to a particular high-end sports store. Stepping inside, he could immediately smell the sports equipment in the warmer air as he unwrapped the scarf from around his face and he smiled. Internally laughing at himself, he found it funny that he was so worked up about making everything perfect for his boyfriend that he sometimes forgot that _he_ knew Rin best. And Sousuke highly doubted Rin would be expecting, or _wanting_ , something traditional from him anyway. The Christmas gift may not be ‘romantic’ but he knew that Rin would at least appreciate it. Sousuke just hoped he had enough time to request the special order before Rin flew in from Australia for his visit.

 It didn’t take him long to find the section dedicated to luggage and sports bags.

* * *

With the dessert from the bakery picked up and carefully hidden in the back of the refrigerator, the present put into a pre-decorated box to avoid having to use wrapping paper and pushed to the back of the closet, and finally the apartment cleaned to what he  _hoped_ was an acceptable enough state – Sousuke was ready for Rin’s arrival. It was only one day until Christmas Eve, one day until his ultimate embarrassment in showing Rin that all of his romantic ideas and notions had rubbed off on him. But it was an embarrassment he would accept gladly if it meant making the holiday memorable for Rin. Their first Christmas together as a couple.

Sousuke gave the apartment one last glance over from his entryway as he shrugged on his heavy winter coat, his scarf shoved into one of the pockets and his keys in hand. He decided not to go so far as to decorate the place – his ego couldn’t quite make _that_ leap yet – but it was sufficiently welcoming.

“Good enough,” he took a deep breath and locked his door behind him. He knew Rin’s phone would be turned off until the plane landed but he sent him a text anyway, to let him know that he would be waiting just outside the terminal. Wrapping the scarf around his neck to protect against the dropping temperature, he strolled to the train station, heading to the international airport to pick up his guest of honor.

* * *

The disembarking of the flight from Australia was taking forever. Rin knew it was because there were a couple hundred people all waiting in line to leave the cramped aircraft, ready to be on solid ground again. But he had long surpassed merely being ‘antsy’ twenty minutes ago. When he saw the text from Sousuke, all he wanted was to see his face – in person – as soon as possible.

Finally being able to distant himself from the crowd and in the public section of the airport, his eyes scanned the crowd and zeroed in on his boyfriend with skill. The tall, dark-haired man leaning against a large pillar with one hand shoved in his pocket as the other fidgeted with his cell phone. His cerulean eyes weren’t even on the phone as they flickered through the moving throng of travelers.

It was the best sight Rin had seen in months and he couldn’t stop himself speed walking through the bustling airport to get to him as fast as possible.

“Sousuke!”

Having easily become re-accustomed to the Western culture in Australia, what with their more relaxed perception of public displays of affection, after having spent his first semester of college there he didn’t think twice before launching himself at his boyfriend. He felt Sousuke hug him back fiercely, despite the blush visible on his face and the shy glance of his eyes to the crowd around them. Thankfully no one paid them any attention.

“Heh, sorry. I forgot.”

Rin knew that Sousuke could tell that he took as long as possible to disengage himself from the other. He really didn’t want to let go. But he too could tell that Sousuke held on just a bit longer than necessary as well, their hands brushing by each other in a caress.

“Don’t be. I missed you too.”

Feeling a warm hand on his cheek as it brushed some hair, loose from his ponytail, back behind his ear, Rin was momentarily hypnotized. That easy smile with those piercing eyes that could look straight through him weren’t the same through a grainy web camera. So intense, so alarming. God, he just wanted to _kiss him_. But first, they needed to get out of the airport. It took a moment for him to calm his heart before he could step back from the large frame in front of him. Hefting his large rucksack higher on his back, confirming it was secure, he grinned sharply at Sousuke in a teasing manner. “I know you did. Now let’s go! I want to see your new place!”

As they politely pushed their way through to the exit and into the biting chill of winter, Rin was surprised when Sousuke’s hand gripped his elbow to steer him in the opposite direction he started walking. “What? Sousuke? Unless the city was rearranged in just a few months, the train station is this way.”

“We’re taking a cab. I don’t want to spend twice as long taking the train to get home. I figured you’d be tired of traveling.”

Rin saw his eyes widen just enough before he turned his head, caught off guard by what he himself just said. Surely even Sousuke had to admit that it sounded like- “You just want to have me in privacy faster, don’t you?” Rin grinned sharply.

Sousuke practically handed that opening to his boyfriend. Maybe he was rusty from so much time apart. But of course Rin couldn’t argue with cutting down their travel time so he turned to head instead to the busy curbside where people were already gathered as empty taxis pulled up.

“Maybe I do. Does that make you nervous?” The low voice from his companion spoke unexpectedly.  Rin blinked a few times in surprise before he felt his own face warm up for a reason other than the cold. His warm, wine-colored eyes quickly meeting the amused, marine blue ones. He wasn’t quite sure what face he had made but when Sousuke’s mouth slowly widened into a grin, he figured it was obvious that the open flirting flustered and excited him.

“Stupid!” Rin turned his head sharply to face forward again as they finally hailed their own cab, the driver stepping out to open the trunk for Rin’s large bag. “Maybe _you_ should be the one nervous.”

“We’ll see.” There was a brief, knowing smile before he leaned toward the driver to give him the address.

* * *

“And here it is.” Sousuke opened his apartment door and let Rin step in before him as they both immediately kicked off their shoes and hung up their coats. His apartment wasn’t large by any means but Sousuke had previously told him that he got a small raise at his part-time job, which he took up in order to supplement the stipend he got from his family for college, that he could afford a little more space than the standard tiny studio. Tokyo wasn’t cheap by any means.

But Rin was impressed. It was actually pretty nice with a soft neutral wall color, hardwood floors, and a small balcony off the living room that he could see. And Sousuke managed to keep the place pretty clean, it appeared. Or, what Rin figured was probably more accurate, he cleaned it specifically for his visit.

“It’s nice.” And he really did appreciate it, however it wasn’t what he really wanted at the moment. Rin threw down his large rucksack in a random corner and turned his entire body quickly to face his boyfriend. “Now kiss me.”

Sousuke responded to his forceful request with a low, throaty chuckle, the kind that Rin loved to hear. And as the taller man leaned down, the redhead met him halfway as he pulled on the collar of Sousuke’s shirt. Their mouths met with a firm, but slow caress as they slide over sensitive lips. Pressing together, interlocking, before stroking the tender skin as they pulled apart. The soft sound of their lips meeting over and over again in a sensual dance, his warm breath against his face, and the feel of Sousuke’s hands on his hips was heating up his body.

Whenever their kisses were like this, mostly lips touches and caresses, Rin took charge. Sousuke allowed him to lead in how he wanted, following every head tilt, responding with complete willingness and pleasure with every tug and nibble. And judging by how one of those large hands made its way to his jean-clad ass and the other threading through his hair, he knew his boyfriend was feeling it as much as he was.

Rin hadn’t been sure he’d have the energy, after having spent roughly 16 hours traveling, to do anything particularly intimate when he arrived. But his body was certainly telling him otherwise at the moment. It had been far too long since he had the pleasure of touching and being touched by his tall, dark, and handsome lover. And he wanted _more_.

With a soft ‘ _pop_ ’ of their lips, Rin pulled away with a dazed and flirty smile. “So… I’m going to go wash up because I’ve been stuck on a plane all day. But _you_ need to meet me in the bedroom, got it?”

“God, yes.” Sousuke managed to get out before tugging Rin back in for one more kiss, this one all under his power. Rin’s chin was tilted back further as Sousuke’s tongue dove in without preamble, tasting and caressing against Rin’s own. In these kisses, Rin could only hold on tight and moan.

After another moment of their intense embrace, Rin finally pushed him back. They were both left breathing harder, their eyes sharper than before. “I need to shower first. I promise I’ll be quick.”

He could tell Sousuke was considering arguing with him, probably to assure him that he didn’t care if he was clean and that they didn’t need to do _that_ on their first night, but Rin didn’t want to hear any of his arguments. Taking the broad shoulders in hand, Rin spun his boyfriend around with a little brute force and pushed him along. “I promise I’ll be quick.”

A sigh and then finally he acquiesced, “Fine. I’ll just let your family know that you’re home safe then. They still expect you to come down for New Year’s.”

“Yeah, yeah, we will – together.” Rin threw the comment over his shoulder and made his way to the bathroom, peeling off his clothes, grimy from all of the travelling. He shut the door and threw the garments in the hamper before eyeing the shampoo and conditioner. Sousuke kept the brands he preferred. He wondered if it they were just the original ones from before he left for Australia and his boyfriend just brought them to his new apartment. But when he picked them up, the bottles heavy and full, he smiled more. They were brand new. _Really, that man…_

The hot shower was just what he needed to feel human again and he cleaned every square inch of his skin. After drying his hair and brushing his teeth, he saw a large plushy robe of dark blue plaid hanging on the door. Figuring he wouldn’t be wearing anything for very long anyway, he threw it on and tied the sash, hanging his towel back up. Now the only thing he needed was some water to rehydrate his body. Passing by the bedroom, the door half open, he heard his boyfriend talking with his family, probably his sister specifically, as he tried to politely end the conversation. Better him than Rin or they would never get off the phone, he figured.

Making his way into the kitchen, Rin cursed himself for not putting slippers on his feet. The tiles were freezing to the touch considering there was no space heater in that particular room of the apartment. But at that point he was just in a rush to finish his nightly routine and crawl into bed with the large, dark-haired man he had been missing for so long.

“Soda, juice, different soda, tea, more soda… Geez, Sousuke, don’t you have any water bottles in here?” Rin mumbled as he pulled the robe tighter around his rapidly cooling body, his other hand impatiently pushing aside items the fridge in a desperate search. When he reached the back of the fridge, he was surprised to see a small white and pink paper box. Despite the chilling temperature, his curiosity got the better of him.

“What is…?” Tugging it closer to the front of the shelf, he blinked rapidly, his eyes wide in belief. It was from a bakery, as he could tell by the store’s logo on the top of it. “Oh god… is this a… Sousuke bought a Christmas cake?”

Swallowing his feelings down, he slide it back, hoping that his boyfriend, his _insanely sweet_ boyfriend, didn’t notice him ruin the surprise.

“Rin?” said boyfriend’s voice called from behind him. “I finally got off the phone and… what are you doing?”

He must have been a sight, standing in the freezing kitchen, the refrigerator door wide open, and him standing there barefoot, dressed only in Sousuke’s housecoat. But what probably gave him away were the slowly building tears in his eyes as he marveled at his lifelong best friend, his thoughtful lover, that bought them a cake to celebrate their first Christmas together as a couple. Rin couldn’t stop the sniffle if he tried.

“…You saw it, didn’t you?”

Sousuke looked embarrassed, _adorably_ embarrassed, as he rubbed the back of his neck and tried to explain, as if the cake was something he _needed_ to hide. “I just… Well, I wasn’t sure if you… that is…”

_Oh for the love of…_ Rin thought as he shut the refrigerator in one swift motion and launched at the taller man, his arms wrapping around his neck. He buried his face against him as tight as it would go and took a deep breath of Sousuke’s smell. He wanted to thank him, to tell him he was such a _sweet dork_ , to tell him he appreciated the gesture, to tell him that this was the best holiday _ever_. But he knew if he tried to speak right now, it’d be a watery mess. So he just continued to take in the smell that was pure Sousuke and hold onto the large body tight.

The dark-haired man chuckled into Rin’s hair as his arms went around him and held him close. The strength and heat from his body felt soothing, comforting, and safe. Sousuke’s hands rubbing his back intimately through the terry cloth robe and Rin felt a soft kiss placed on his head as they stood there for another minute in the cold kitchen, wrapped up in each other.

Getting his emotions under control, Rin finally responded by placing a kiss against the skin of his neck where he had nuzzled his face. The first to break the silence was Sousuke, though he didn’t make any move to pull back from Rin.

“Sorry your surprise is ruined. I should have hid it better or something.”

Rin pushed his face away from the other man’s neck and pressed against his shoulders to gape at him, but thankfully Sousuke was smiling and not looking truly apologetic. “Ruined?! Are you shitting me right now?! C’mon you big, stupid loser. I need to kiss you _right now_.”

So he did. He took Sousuke’s face in both of his hands and yanked him down to meet his in a fierce kiss. Rin’s teeth nipped and tugged at his lower lip before his tongue forced its way into his mouth. Sousuke grunted in surprise before his lips and tongue responded in kind, his hands immediately rubbing a sensual line down Rin’s back.

Pulling apart just enough to rub their swollen lips together, Sousuke whispered against his skin. “Well… in that case, there’s more actually.”

“MORE?!” Rin was like a child again, his eyes wide with barely contained glee as he suddenly pulled a little further away from Sousuke, his hands gripping tight to his biceps. “What do you mean more?!”

“You sure you don’t want to wait until tomorrow?” Sousuke looked almost bashful about it and Rin nearly forgot about what ‘more’ could mean just in the desire to kiss his stupidly attractive face again. However, the promise of more unexpected surprises coming from his boyfriend was not easily overlooked.

“I’m sure!”

“Ok, just… go sit in the bedroom while I grab it. I’m sure you’re freezing.”

Well, Rin wasn’t able to argue with that. Despite being momentarily distracted, he was very close to shivering with his body at near-glacial temperatures. He grinned at Sousuke before quickly making his way into the bedroom to dive under the many thick layers of blankets on the large bed. Pushing his icy feet down first and rubbing them to create friction was immediately gratifying as feeling started coming back to his skin. Between the need to stay under the blankets for warmth’s sake and the desire to make love to his incredible boyfriend, he knew he wouldn’t be leaving the bed until morning, sleepwear be damned.

He had just barely gotten comfortable, all of the sheets and heavy comforter over his lap when Sousuke reentered the room. In his arms was a medium-sized cardboard box with pre-printed red and green stripes on all sides in a Christmas theme.

“This was… Well… It’s not very romantic, so I don’t want you to get your hopes up or anything.”

“Oh my god, Sousuke! C’mon, just hand it over!” When he brought the box within arm’s reach, he pulled it swiftly from Sousuke’s hands and set it on his lap, flinging the panels open on top to pull out what was inside. “I’m just amazed that you got… me… Sousuke…”

His sentence trailed off into nothingness as he stared at the most unexpected gift. It was a duffle bag that had been folded tight in order to fit inside the box. Colored mostly in dark gray, with black and red accents along the seams and straps, he could tell it was a swimmer’s bag. The bag was double-lined, waterproof on the outside while being warm and soft on the inside. But what was special about this bag was the custom, expertly done etching in deep red along the main panel on both sides. On one there was the outline of a shark, teeth bared with its tail whipped around at an arch as if to attack. And on the other side was his name, written in the Western alphabet with his given name first. Now he knew his boyfriend well. Very well, in fact. He knew Sousuke preferred Rin’s name written in Japanese – and not just because he wasn’t fond of studying English in school. So he knew that this bag, specifically his name on this bag, wasn’t intended to just be read by the Japanese. Sousuke wanted his name to be read by the world. Rin knew without asking, exactly what Sousuke was handing him.

“…Is it not ok? I may still be able to take it back if it’s not what you want. I just thought maybe you could use it, take it back with you when you…” Sousuke’s low voice petered to a stop but Rin couldn’t lift his head to look at him. He gripped the duffel bag tight in his fists as he fought against the sobbing his body so desperately wanted to do. Unable to hold back the wet sniffle, he felt his boyfriend’s weight dip onto the bed to sit near him, his voice heavy with concern. “Rin? Hey… Are you crying? Please don’t cry. You know I can’t handle seeing you cry.”

“You’re such an idiot. A stupid, stupid idiot. It’s… it’s _perfect_.” Still refusing to look up into the eyes that he just knew were glued to him, he released one hand from the gift to wipe his face. Rin was just overwhelmed by everything, probably made worse from how tired he had been all day. But finally getting to see Sousuke after months apart and then to have these incredibly romantic, thoughtful surprises sprung on him. Well, there was no holding in his emotions. However, one particular emotion bubbled up within him that he hadn’t been expecting. “I didn’t… I thought you didn’t do the whole Christmas thing. And I didn’t want you to feel that you _had_ to do something, so I… I didn’t… I don’t have a-anything…”

“Rin,” Sousuke called to him, his voice softer, less worried. Rin felt a large, warm hand under his chin, cupping his jaw, as his head was lifted up to allow Sousuke to look on his face and into his eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re here with me.”

Rin had thought he was done with the waterworks. He was wrong. Biting his lip hard enough to hurt, he tried to hold back the shudders in his body as more tears fell from his eyes. The first thing he did was push the box off his lap to land heavily on the floor and then he set the duffel bag on the other side of the bed with more compassion than the cardboard it came in, before he reached out with both hands to grip onto the collar of Sousuke’s shirt. With a single forceful tug, he had the taller man half on top of him, leaning over his body, as his arms wound around his neck to keep him there.

“S-so stupid…” he gurgled around his emotions as he clung tight the body above him.

He felt the larger body settle into his, some of Sousuke’s weight held above him on one arm as the other wrapped tight around his shoulders, the fingers on that hand weaving into his hair to cup the back of his head. Sousuke pressed his face against the side of Rin’s head, nose buried in the soft tresses, as he whispered fondly, “I love you, Rin.”

* * *

**Omake/Bonus:** _The next day…_

“Wait… this isn’t a cake…” Rin exclaimed as he peered at the dessert, lifting it out of the bakery box to set on the table. “What is it?”

Sousuke appeared hesitant to answer as he brought plates and utensils over to the table to join him. “…An apple tart.”

The red-head blinked once, twice, before daring to ask. “Ok… why?” After all, cake was more the stereotypical Christmas treat and he figured Sousuke would have gone the easiest way with this.

“Because you don’t really like cake.” His boyfriend didn’t hesitate to explain, heavily lowering his body into the chair and immediately leaning his arms on the table, his head held up by his hand. “And I was told this would probably be a better pick because it uses sour apples and is less sweet – and _why_ are you looking at me like that?”

He couldn’t stop the grin spreading over his face if he wanted to. And he didn’t want to. “Nothing. You just love me a lot, don’t you?”

Rin was even more charmed when he saw the telltale sign of a blush showing up on the other man’s cheeks. “I – huh? What?”

He began counting off, his lips still pulled into a pleased grin, “You went to a bakery to buy a Christmas cake, knew I wouldn’t really go for the standard dessert, actually _talked_ to an employee about what I liked, and then made a special order for me? Sounds like you went through a lot of trouble to impress me, Sousuke.” And Rin couldn’t help but waggle his eyebrows a few times, just to rub it in.

Everything in life was immediately worth it when he achieved the adorable pink blush stained to his boyfriend’s face as Sousuke averted his eyes, his head turning in embarrassment. “…Shut up.”

It always amazed him when Sousuke could go from being so forthright, unashamed to say the most embarrassing things out loud to him when Rin was being emotional or in the heat of the moment when they were intimate. And then to turn into this almost shy, rather dorky guy when Rin turned the tables to vocalize about what a sweet, romantic man Sousuke secretly was.

“Sousuke?”

“What?” his lover huffed.

“I love you too.” Rin blew him a kiss when Sousuke finally turned his teal eyes back to his and then immediately took his first bite of the not-cake. “And it’s pretty good!”

“…It better be.”


End file.
